Call of the Wild
by Kagami Kyoji
Summary: A hot day, a slip of the tongue, a test to administer. This is NOT one of Shido's usual days. From then on, it's a journey for both of them. Shido X Madoka.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own GB

It was a blistering hot afternoon in the outskirts of Ura Shinjuku. Over at Otowa Madoka's mansion, the animals were hiding under shelter or trees in the spacious courtyard. Even their master, Fuyuki Shido, wished that rain would soon come.

The Beastmaster hated it when he had to stay idle at Madoka's mansion during the day. It's not that he disliked the company of his animal friends or Madoka; just the thought of Mido Ban sneering at him for sponging off a blind girl is enough to make him almost want to beg Hevn for any available job.

But the busty lady was to disappoint him. The text message she had send him read "Sorry, Shido-san. The GB duo just got my last job. You've got to wait."

At least it wasn't so bad earlier on in the morning. He joined the animals for their morning exercise, asked the crows for the latest news and happenings in the underground world of Ura Shinjuku and just took a break from his daily routine.

But when the sun came, oh boy, it was hell for the animals. Almost all scrambled immediately for the air-conditioned interior of the mansion, despite their master's explict instructions not to do so. Despite having Madoka's permission, the proud Beastmaster still decided to let the animals stay outside.

"It's all because of Shido's stupid pride that we are outside," grumbled one of the birds perched on top of the trees.

"Hey, a little heat won't kill you guys, oh right! You can't expect her workers to clean up the mess, you know," countered Shido, his voice rising with the temperature.

"Tea's served, fellows! I've cooled it already, so don't worry about getting scalded," chirped a smoothing voice.

In spite of himself, Shido smiled. Madoka's been able to talk with his companions now. For an average human, that's a great achievement for a few months' work.

"This is excellent! Thank you, Madoka-san," barked one of the dogs as it sipped the drink from a saucer.

"You're welcome," replied the blind teen with a smile.

"Looks like you're beginning to resemble the Maryuudo now, Madoka," said Shido, and immediately clammed up. It was a clear slip of the tongue, but its implications are severe. If Madoka is indeed becoming more and more like the Maryuudo, that will mean that...

"Did you say something, Shido-san," If the blind teen heard him, she did not show it.

"Nothing..." murmured Shido.

"At least, Madoka-san here cares for us like a true Maryuudo, unlike some other guy here, from the Fuyuki clan no less," complained the bird.

"Why you!" The Beastmaster resisted an urge to call for a few hawks to chase that crow away.

"Calm down, Shido-san. I'm sure he meant no harm."

Shido turned and looked at his... girlfriend. He hates to admit it, but he's in love with the violinist. Now, considering his earlier slip...

"Madoka-chan, would you like to learn the skills of my people," asked Shido bashfully.

Madoka stared at the Beastmaster. But her question was to surprise him instead.

"May I, or rather, can I do that?"

Shido thought hard. Although he had never know of any ordinary human who managed to learn the skills of the Maryuudo, Madoka had certainly fulfiled the first requirement. Perhaps it's time to put her through the test.

"Madoka, hold this," said Shido softly as he pressed something into her hands.

With her touch, the blind teen could tell that it was a whistle of sorts.

"Shido-san, what's this?"

"It's a Beast Whistle, used by the Maryuudo to summon their bestial allies for help. Now, I wished for you to do the same."

The girl gave him another stare.

"Just keep calm. Channel your thoughts through the whistle. Think about the wording of your call, for even that can be transmitted by the whistle."

Otowa Madoka bowed her head. A short while later, with her head held high, she blew into the whistle.

"Hear me, friends of the wild; roamers of the streets, stay and listen to my call! I seek your aid, not out of peril, but out of duty, for my love seeks to test my worth. Come if you can; if not, spread the word so that others may respond!"

The girl then turned towards Shido. Though he did not show it, the Beastmaster was greatly moved by the message. Now, it's the wild which shall judge her.

For about two minutes, there was no response. The animals in the courtyard had not made a single sound since their master spoke of the test. All were watching, and waiting.

"Well, looks like I'm not up to it. No one came."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Though Madoka's senses were keen, sharpened by her training as a musician, they were still inferior when compared to those of a man who lived in the wild for much of his life and had never forgotten its lessons.

"Huh?"

"They're coming," said the Beastmaster.

As if on cue, a cloud of dust began to form on the horizon. When it came nearer, animals of all sorts could be seen rushing towards the courtyard. In the skies, crows and other birds of flight came in such numbers that one might be forgiven for thinking that they can blot out the sun.

At last, all of the animals stopped in or hovered around the courtyard.

"You called for us, Miss?"

"How did you do that? Around here, the only guy who could use that whistle is the Beastmaster!"

"Are you getting married to Shido-san?"

Questions like these and more came flying from the creatures. The Beastmaster decided to make an address.

"Keep your voices down! I have something to say."

The animals quickly shut their mouths (and beaks).

"Since most of you came here upon hearing the whistle, she has passed the test. Otowa Madoka shall now be taught the ways of the Maryuudo. How much she can accomplish will ultimately depend on herself."

The animals cheered wildly upon hearing the news.

Amid the cheers, Shido whispered to his girlfriend.

"Remember, Madoka. The powers which you will be taught are considered sacred to my people. You cannot show them to other humans."

"Not even your friends at the Honky Tonk?"

"Those.. I'll consider them exceptions. Time to make that snake bastard eat his words about me bullying a helpless girl!" 

Madoka couldn't resist a laugh. Things may start being a little less boring from now on...

Atogaki (Afterthoughts)

-Please RnR! 


	2. Ears of the Bat

The first lesson came the next morning.

"Sensed anything yet," asked the Beastmaster.

"It's... still very hazy."

"Ok, we'll take a break now."

The partying yesterday must have taken their toll on her, thought Shido. The poor girl had been on her feet all afternoon, be it ordering the food for his animal pals, entertaining the lot with her performances, or even calling up the cleaning company to clear up the mess in the courtyard at the end. Even after a good night's rest, she still seems tired. Or could it be...

"Madoka, are you alright," Shido started panicking.

"Shido-san, I'm fine. What's wrong," Clearly, the teen had picked up his nervous tone.

"Nothing..." In his excitement of being a teacher, he had completely forgotten that his student was a blind teenage girl... and possibly his future wife. He knew that Bats' Hearing would be a useful skill for Madoka to master; still, he should not have taught it without thinking of the possible consequences.

As for Madoka, it was about the hardest thing she had ever done. The level of concentration she had to muster was even greater than what she needed to play musical pieces of great difficulty on the violin. Already, beads of sweat had formed on her face and she was feeling breathless.

Although her words were meant to placate Shido, the Beastmaster could tell that she was nearing her limit. Even Mozart had been unusually silent all this while. Shido decided that they have had enough for the day.

"That will be all, Madoka. You must be tired already."

"I'm fine, really. Since you guys can have special powers, it really can't be that hard," answered the teen.

Sensing the determination in her voice, the Beastmaster relented.

"One last try. Then we will stop."

Nodding, the teen closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I must have been doing something wrong just now," she told herself.

Bit by bit, the sonogram image in her mind became clearer and clearer. She could tell where objects are without them making a single sound, and for the first time since their meeting, she had an idea of how Shido looks like.

Though she had felt his face before, the sonogram was her first attempt of looking at him as a person. Of course, she had imagined his build and height many times before. What she sensed before her had not been that far off the mark: a tall and well-built figure.

"Is there anything now," asked the Beastmaster.

"Yeah...I can sense where the objects are now, and how you look. It's vague, though."

Shido smiled.

"There'll be all for today. Tomorrow, we'll go to a new venue for practice."

The next afternoon, the pair (together with Mozart) found themselves standing some distance away from a pedestrian crossing. The Beastmaster turned towards his student.

"Madoka, will you hand me Mozart's leash?"

"Okay, what's going on here," whined Mozart.

"Sorry, old pal, but Madoka needs to do this alone," replied Shido as he took firm hold of the leash after Madoka handed over.

"Remember what you have learnt from me, but also, don't forget how you've lived before."

With that advice, Shido and Mozart stepped further away from the crossing.

Taking a breath, the blind teen waited.

Further down the street, Mido Ban and Amano Ginji were walking beside the busy road.

"Hey, Ban-chan, why hasn't Shido been looking for HEVN-san at the Tonk? I'm sure he will be interested in some of the jobs."

"How the hell will I know? Anyway, we're better off without him. Without his competition, all the jobs go to us, and Paul can finally stop his grumblings," replied Ban, his Marlboro between his teeth.

"Anyway, where are we going for lunch?"

"Not to the rubbish heaps, that's for sure... Hey, isn't that Monkey Boy?"

"And he's holding onto Mozart," observed Ginji, stopping at the same time.

The GB duo then started scanning the area for the missing third person.

"Look, Ban-chan!"

Looking at where his pal is pointing, the Urchin Head saw a strange sight: Otowa Madoka was standing alone before a pedestrian crossing, waiting to cross the road... unaided.

Madoka was a little nervous. She had never really concerned herself with this little facet of life, for Mozart always lead her across without any mishap. Now, she must do it alone. Concentrating hard, the sonogram image in her mind began to manifest.

Once she saw the cars stopping, she stepped onto the road.

"Look, Ban-chan! She's actually doing it!" Ginji stared in disbelief.

"What's more, she's not stumbling around like any ordinary blind girl would without any form of aid," muttered Ban under his breath.

As for Madoka, she was quietly elated when she reached the other side; come to think of it, it wasn't that hard after all. Also, she had all along been living in a world which consists of only sound; now she could see (albeit in shapes and sizes only). To be able to feel people go about their lives while listening to them was an experience for her.

Still feeling a little high, the teen then turned around and waited for the cars to stop again. She repeated the whole process, but this time, the teen was running across.

"Did you see that," Ginji's mouth was beginning to resemble a fish's.

"Ya, and I think Monkey Boy has a very good explanation for this. Let's go," said Ban in a plain voice as he walked towards the trio.

"Great job, Mistress," barked Mozart happily.

"Mozart's right, Madoka, though for a while we thought you might fall from the running," laughed Shido.

"Thank you, Shido-san. I'm alright," Madoka was now smiling proudly.

"Shido! Madoka-chan!"

"Ginji! What are you doing here," asked Shido, clearly surprised by his friend's presence. He pretended not to see Ban.

"We saw what you did, Madoka. How did you do it," questioned Ban, also ignoring the Beastmaster.

"It's... a little secret, Ban-san. I'll tell you some other day," replied the blind violinist coyly.

"The Snake Bastard doesn't have to know. I'll tell Ginji when he's alone," said the Beastmaster.

"Spoiling for a fight, Monkey Boy," threatened Ban, putting his face right in front of Shido's.

"If you're anxious to put on some Band-Aids, I'll gladly help you," retorted Shido.

Both Ginji and Madoka sighed. Something always happens when those two meet.

"Let's go, Ban-chan. I'm hungry," said Ginji, dragging his companion behind him. Ban's scowling face was still staring back at Shido.

"Do you think they suspect anything, Shido-san?"

"Ginji's too dense for that. As for that snake bastard, he'll figure it out eventually."

"Cool. Will you teach me more," asked Madoka.

"All in due time, Madoka. Be patient," said the Beastmaster.

With that, the trio began their little walk back to the mansion.  
Atogaki(Afterthoughts)

-Please RnR! 


End file.
